Misleading canal sign?

We were the first boat up the Wolverhampton 21 locks today, as evidenced by the fresh black paint someone had carefully applied to the spindles of the lock gear The spindles!

We had a fairly uneventful trip up the locks, most of which were in our favour. I did my usual lockwheeling, setting a lock ahead each time. In the two and a half hours or so we took to get to the top, I therefore cycled three times the distance Jan covered in the boat. One lockside was adorned with cowslips.

At Factory Junction we turned right to keep on the Old Main Line. We passed some interesting creatures beyond Tipton.

There were plenty of moorhens on their floating nests. There were a few families of moorchicks about too.

At Tividale an aqueduct carries the Old Main Line over the Netherton Tunnel Branch. There is a canal junction sign ...

... but you can't simply turn right here. Yes, Netherton Tunnel is in the direction indicated, but to get there you'd have to turn left, left and left again, having gone down Brades Locks in the process.

High Bridge, which we passed under, is a bridge, certainly, but not what I would call high.

One more photo from today: a goose watches as Jan approaches Smethwick Locks. The Engine Arm goes off to the left under the towpath bridge (even though the bank looks continuous).

We tied up at Cambrian Wharf in central Birmingham, where I removed a large quantity of plastic from the blades.

Is this a boat counter? (As in counter of boats)

On our way to Birmingham this morning I put a topcoat on the well deck. I had applied the primer a couple of nights ago so it had had plenty of time to harden. I've used a cheapo topcoat as a temporary protective measure; we'll see how long it lasts. It's certainly looking a lot better then the rusted, pitted surface it's covering. I doesn't seem to have suffered from the rain which came this afternoon, about four hours after I had finished.

We had a peaceful passage along the Old Main Line, the only incident of note being a moorhen's nest (we think) getting round the prop. There were a lot of quills - when I opened the weed hatch I thought it was a dead peacock.

I was pleased with this photo - very different from Telford's New Main Line.

At one point fixed to the bank close to the water were a couple of low metal boxes, one each side of the canal, with apertures for what looked like an optical sensor. Is this a boat counting device?

The centre of Brum looks very different from the last time we looked round. Tram tracks have appeared coming close to the Symphony Hall. It will look very smart when it's finished.

Few people, much rain and some paint

Day two at Tipton Canal Festival has been pretty much a washout. There was very heavy rain at 0500 - yes, it woke me up - and people stayed away. So when we went to St. Matthew's Church five hours later the site was almost deserted.

A two-piece band played throughout the weekend. The Master Butchers Band comprised accordion and drums and they sounded really good. They played mostly old classics, segueing between them for what seemed like hours on end.

Today, though, they were largely playing to themselves.

Those traders who had bothered to return today packed up early. It didn't actually rain much during the day and the sun even peeped out occasionally, but the punters didn't come back. Boats drifted off too, among them Darley steered by Blossom.

Shortly before 6pm we moved round the corner to the BCLM facilities and moorings and will head to Birmingham tomorrow. Oh yes, last night I primed the well deck, finishing at 2230. An hour later there was a light rain shower but I don't think it caused any harm. By the time the heavy rain came it had dried sufficiently; it now looks much better than it did.

Oh no! What's happened to forward gear?

We left Windmill End for the final time this morning, after walking down to Lidl for some supplies.

Having passed through Netherton Tunnel we stopped just after Tividale Aqueduct for lunch.

At Dudley Port Junction we turned left onto the New Main Line and after a while came to the former Watery Lane Junction.

The plaque reads: The Tipton Green and Toll End Communication formerly crossed the Birmingham Level at this point 1809 - 1960.

It was good to feel the windlass in my hand again for Factory Locks after more than a week on the Birmingham Level. But at Lock 2 … Houston, we have a problem.

Jan, at the helm at the bottom of the lock, reported that it would go no faster than tickover in forward. I filled the lock and had a feel of the Morse control. It seemed to be physically obstructed in forward. I would have to take a proper look, but decided to do this on the lock landing above the top lock. Jan steered into Lock 1 on tickover, ascended the lock and stopped on the landing. With the deck boards up I could see the cable moving as it should. The Morse lever seemed to be hitting something much nearer to the control itself. Opening the door on which it is mounted I immediately saw the cause of the problem. (And here I should have taken a photo. Perhaps tomorrow.) A woodscrew holding a metal clip thing in position had come loose; the metal clip had rotated such that it was stopping the lever travelling much beyond the vertical. It was a matter of seconds to tighten the screw with the clip in what I hope is the right place - and we were up and running again.

At Factory Junction, a few yards from where we'd stopped, we turned left to head to the facilities by the Black Country Living Museum. On the way we passed the site of the Tipton Canal Festival.

At least, this is where some boats had congregated. A bit further on we came across Andy and Helen on Wand'ring Bark and The Jam Butty. We tied up in front of them after the services and joined them for a cup of tea. Later in the evening Chris and Sally of Kairos came for drinks.

Tomorrow we don't have to go anywhere or do anything (much)! Oh, apart from joining a group of people going to Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory. Will I have another cow pie?